"Novel protein-free material for minimally compressive surgical hemostasis" (Patrick S. Cottler, P.I.) Excessive blood loss is a risk in any surgery, and hemostasis is problematic in minimally invasive and spinal procedures where direct access to the hemorrhage is difficult and external compression is impractical. Although blood transfusion is an accepted and life-saving technique, the preferred method of addressing blood loss is prevention by the use of local or systemic hemostatic agents such as fibrin glues or aprotinin. The proposed program is aimed at the development of a novel protein-free, biodegradable material to be used as a hemostatic agent. The proposed material will provide better tissue adhesion and reduce the likelihood of disease transmission and immunogenicity associated with protein-based materials. Because of the nature of the material, the proposed hemostatic agent is biocompatible and biodegradable, and also overcomes the problems of high cost and limited availability of many currently available agents. Phase I of this project will focus on the design and fabrication of the material and in vitro and in vivo assessment of its hemostatic efficacy. Phase II will focus on, a preclinical large animal study, material optimization, safety, and development of a detailed commercialization plan. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: "Novel protein-free material for minimally compressive surgical hemostasis" (Patrick S. Cottler, P.I.) The material to be developed will provide a low-cost, low-risk alternative to current treatments for surgical blood loss, including transfusions and protein-based hemostatic agents. Since this material has the potential for both superior performance and wide availability, a product derived from this research could have significant public health impact. Since the material to be developed has many desirable material properties, as well as being low-cost, it also has the potential to be used in a number of other biomedical applications, including drug delivery agent or an externally applied bandaging material.